The present invention relates to measuring devices, and more particularly to devices for measuring surgical sponges.
During surgery sponges are frequently used in the incision of the patient to absorb body fluids, such as blood. It is standard practice to count the sponges when they are placed in and removed from the wound to assure that a sponge is not left in the patient when the incision is closed, but the counting of wetted sponges has often proved tedious for the operating personnel. It is also desirable for the surgeon to know the quantity of blood absorbed by the sponges, since the absorbed blood represents a loss of blood by the patient. In certain cases, such as surgery on an infant or during hemorrhages, this knowledge is critical since the patient may require a transfusion in order to restore the blood volume to normal.